Scottish community group secures over £5 million in investment

A Scottish community has defied the odds and secured capital funding to build the first 100% community-owned onshore wind turbine that will operate commercially, without the benefit of government price support mechanisms.

ATTIX Community Interest Company (CIC) – established by Radio City Association, the charity behind the project – has received over £5 million in investment into the Garnock Valley in North Ayrshire. It means the group can press forward with its plans to construct the turbine just outside Kilbirnie, with construction expected to be completed by the end of next year.

£4 million in funding comes from renewable energy investment company, Thrive Renewables, while responsible finance provider, Social Investment Scotland, has invested £1.6 million as part of a blended finance package. Local Energy Scotland also supported the project through planning and design with funding from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES).

The turbine, which will have an operational capacity of 2.5 MW, will be capable of generating 7,839 MWh of clean electricity per year, the equivalent of powering 2,234 average UK homes, once operational. It will also deliver 3,324 tonnes of carbon emissions reductions annually. Owned solely by the community, the profits from electricity sales will be reinvested back into the local area, which could include local sports and recreational facilities, as well as supporting the refurbishment of the Knox Institute building – a one-time important community hub.

Allan Wilson, Secretary of Radio City Association and former Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development for the Scottish Government, said: “This is great news for the Garnock Valley as the turbine will secure more in community benefits for local people than all the commercially owned wind turbines visible in the area combined. We recommend the model to any community facing the same challenges."

"It represents a massive step forward for our Electric Valley Project which aims to promote sustainability and energy self-reliance and the investment of profits from locally sourced renewable power back into our communities. This will allow us to start addressing inequalities in employment, health and education created by years of neglect and absence of new investment.”

The group has overcome various challenges to get the project through to the construction stage, after commercial developers previously tried and failed to secure planning for the site. Recognising the benefits an onshore wind project could bring to the community, ATTIX proposed a new planning approach for its project in 2018 and, after receiving vital development funding from CARES, the group successfully gained planning permission in 2019.

While the impact of higher energy prices, inflation and grid constraints nearly stalled the project once again, Social Investment Scotland and Thrive Renewables came on board with the funding to support construction in September 2023.

Scotland is a world leader in renewable energy generation, home to innovative projects that are not only helping the country to meet its own net zero goals, but setting an example for other countries to follow suit. We’re proud to play a role in this community energy success story – a brilliant example of passion and perseverance that will bring tangible benefits to the people living in the Garnock Valley including a new revenue stream, local green jobs and an active role in tackling the climate emergency. Local projects like these will help Scotland build a cleaner, cheaper, homegrown energy system at a time when many people are struggling as a result of the energy and cost of living crises. We’re pleased to be able to provide the ATTIX team with the flexible, collaborative capital they need to move forward with construction."

Matthew Clayton

Managing Director of Thrive Renewables

Chris Jamieson, Head of Investments at Social Investment Scotland, said: “ATTIX CIC is a superb example of a community energy project with the potential to make a positive difference to people’s lives, while also delivering significant environmental impact through carbon reduction. This investment underlines our commitment at SIS to supporting projects across the country which are helping communities transition to net zero. Each and every project is helping Scotland take one step closer to reaching net zero by 2045.”

The Scottish Government has set a target of 2 GW of renewable energy to be community or locally owned by 2030. Research from Energy Saving Trust has found that an estimated 908 MW of community and locally owned renewable energy capacity from 26,290 installations was operational in Scotland by the end of December 2022. This is estimated to produce 1,933 GWh of renewable energy annually.

CARES was established in 2010 to encourage local and community ownership of renewable energy projects across Scotland and to help maximise the benefits of renewable energy systems, whether commercial or community owned. Delivered on the government’s behalf by Local Energy Scotland, it has provided more than £58 million in funding to applicants and supported more than 600 projects across the country in total.

Chris Morris, Local Energy Scotland Manager, added: “CARES funding has helped Radio City Association to develop this major community project, providing support from an initial idea, through the planning process and to it achieving financial close. Congratulations to the talented and driven team at Radio City whose hard work and tenacity will pay off as the project is built.”

Energy Minister Gillian Martin said: “The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the growth of community energy through CARES and we are proud to have provided this project with both funding and support.

“Every community project is important in helping us to achieve a just transition to a net zero future and my congratulations go to the team at Radio City Association for reaching this important milestone in what is a significant and innovative development in delivering community-owned energy.”

ATTIX CIC is a Community Interest Company established and asset locked to Radio City Association Ltd to develop community renewable energy assets in the Garnock Valley.
As well as this onshore wind turbine, Radio City Association is also developing its wider ‘Electric Valley’ sustainability project including working with Scottish Water in the development of a small-scale hydro site. This will also be used to re-invest back into the local community, promoting sustainable and affordable community transport and energy efficiency.